Uttarakhand rains hits ration supply drop for second day to cut-off villages

The incessant rains lashing the Garhwal and Kumaon hills on Saturday hampered relief work in hundreds of villages, which were cut off from the rest of Uttarakhand after the recent flash floods.

Helicopters were unable to carry rations for the cut-off villages to the worst affected Rudraprayag district for the second day in a row.

The rains also hit relief work in Pithoragath, Bageshwar, Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts. Residents of these villages are on the verge of starvation, reports said.

The meteorological department has warned that moderate to heavy rains are likely in some places in the state in the next 24 hours. This has spread panic among people, particularly those in the riverside towns.

The panic was evident in Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag too, where the water levels in the rivers have been rising.

Meanwhile, the state government transferred Uttarkashi district magistrate R Rajesh Kumar ostensibly as a “routine” matter but sources said he was removed because of poor disaster management.

On the issue of rehabilitation and reconstruction, the Opposition BJP has demanded Rs 20,000 crore from the Centre. Party Rajya Sabha MP and former state chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking for the amount and mentioning that the death toll in recent flash floods could be more than 10,000.

“The state urgently requires funds to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore for providing relief to the victims,” Koshyari wrote. He also demanded that a high-power committee of MPs be set up immediately to look after rebuilding and relief work in the state.